Tie-plug machine.



' No. 664,306. Patented Dec. I8, 1900.

F. L. WILSON.

m: PLUG MACHINE.

(Application filed May 25, 1900.) No M01181.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

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No. 664,306; Patented Dec. 18, I900.

F. WILSON;

TIE PLUG MACHINE. (Applitmtion filed May 25, 1900.)

(No Model.) 2 sh eets -sheet. '2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FITZLAND L. WILSON, OF WEST BAY CITY, MICHIGAN.

TIE-PLUG MACHINE.

srncIFIcA'rIon forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,306, dated December 18, 1906.

Application filed May 25. 1900. I

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FITZLAND L. WILSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at West Bay City, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tie-Plug Machines; and i do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention is a machine for making tieplugs; and the improvements consist in certain means and devices whereby the various objects of my invention are attained. These are, first, to construct a tie-plug machine that will have great capacity for turning out large numbers of tie-plugs in a short space of time and to so construct the machine that it will occupy but small space and require only a reasonable amount of power to drive it, and, second, to produce a tie-plug machine that will be capable of making the plugs either in the form of sheets or blanks from which the plugs may be detached individually or of producing the plugs individually, as is now common in most tie-plug machines.

A further object is to provide means for clamping the bolt or block from which the tie-plugs are made firmly to the traveling bed of the machine and to provide means for beveling the sides of the plugs.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout the several views of which similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts and devices.

Figure 1 is a partial side elevation of a machine embodying my'improvements. Fig. 2 is a part plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail showing the bevel-forming knives attached to the saw-disk. Fig. 4 is a detail of the device for clamping the block or bolt to the traveling bed.

It is to be understood that this invention is applicable to and especially adapted for cutting tie-plugs from short sections of logs or timber, called bolts. The bolts are of a thickness equal to the length of the tie-plugs and pass through the machine with the grain of the wood in a vertical position.

The machine-frame 1 carries a traveling table 2, upon which the bolts are clamped and by which they are fed to the gang of saws 3,

serial No. 17,988. on model.)

that cut the bolts -into tie-plug blanks. Intermediate the saws are cutter-heads 4, carrying cutter-knives 4. The knives 4 are arranged to form or shape the top edges of the tie-plug blanks, which edges afterward form the points of the plugs.

In practice I prefer to mount the saws and cutters alternately on the same shaft 5, as shown in the drawings. If desired, however, the cutters may be mounted on a separate shaft in front of the saws.

To prevent the bolt from loosening or becoming displaced by the action of the saws, I provide pressure-bars 6, the points of which pass between the saws of the gang 3. The pressure-bars are keptin contact with the bolt by downwardly-pressing springs 7, mounted on the bar 7 by means of collars 7", which are adjustably held by set-screws 7 ,whereby the pressure of the springs 7 may be regulated. A further means for clamping the bolt to the bed consists in clamping-arms 8, arranged in series transverse to the direction of motionofthe traveling bed or table 2 and pivotally mounted thereon. These arms are fixed to a rock shaft or bar 9, by which they can either be raised vertically to clamp the bolt against the lugs 10 of the traveling bed or be dropped below the surface of the bed, as shown at the right of Fig. 1. A crankarm 11 is attached to the end of the rock-bar 9 and carries a projecting pin or wiper 11, by which the rock-bar and its attached clam ping-arms 8 are operated.

A horizontal rod or guide 12 extends along the side of the movable bed in suitable position to hold the pin 11 depressed as it passes under the guide 12, consequently raising the arms 8, and thereby clamping the bolt between the lugs 10 and the arms 8.

A spring 9 Fig. 4, secured at one end to the shaft 9 and at the other end to the frame or other stationary part of the machine, retains the clamping-arms 8 in a normally-depressed position until the guide 12 is engaged by the pin 11, thereby raising the arms 5 to clamp the bolt, as above described. The guide 12 is so placed with reference to the cutterknives 4 and the saws 3 that it raises the arms 8 and clamps the bolts before the bolt reaches the cutters and releases it after it is severed into tie-plug blanks by the saws.

In practice I prefer to mount the guide 12 movably on pins 13 or equivalent means, whereby the guide may be moved transversely out of engagement with the pin 11*, thereby rendering the clamping-arms 8 inoperative when desired.

The sides of the plugs may be tapered by the means shown in Fig. 3, consisting of laterally-projecting blades or cutters struck up from the face of the saw-disk, so as to impart a suitable taper to the sides of the tie-plug blanks.

To form tapered blanks from which tapered tie-plugs are made, the knives increase in width or ofiset from their outer ends toward the center of rotation.

The knives are preferably formed as shown in Fig. 3. Concentric series of perforations 14 are formed in the saw-disk in the rear of the blade 15. As the blade wears its cutting edge can berenewed by severing the metal 14 between the knife-blade and the next perforations and then swaging or striking up the disk to form a new cutting edge. The perforations 14 are preferably circular in shape, since curved throats 16 are thereby formed at the base of the blade, tending to prevent cracking of the saw-disk.

It is evident that by the above means a machine is produced whereby a tie-plug bolt of the kind described maybe secnrelyclamped to the traveling bed and severed into pointed and shaped blanks, from which tie-plugs are made. l

After the blanks are formed as above described they are placed again on the traveling bed, but in a position at right angles to their former position, and thus by a second passage through the machine are cut into tieplugs. If the saws are slightly raised, so as not to cut the entire depth of the blanks duringthe. second passage through the machine, the tie-plugs will be left in attached rows .or sections, from which they may be easily detached for use. The advantages derived from 4 this construction of tie-plu g blank are apparent. The processes of drying and packing the plugs are greatly facilitated and the amount of handling is decreasedl What I claim is 1. The combination with the frame and traveling bed of a tie-plug machine, of transverse series of clamping-arms pivoted to said bed; crank-arms for raising said clampingarms; guides secured to the machine-frame and adapted to depress said crank-arms and thereby clamp material to said bed; springpressed pressure bars above the traveling bed; revolving cutters beyond saidpressurebars and adapted to groove the upper surface of a. tie-plug bolt across the grain; and transverse series of saws intermediate said revolving cutters, said saws having lateral knives, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

2. In combination with the frameand traveling bed of a tie-plug machine; series of transverse shafts rotatably mounted on said bed and traveling with it; clamping-arms fixed to said shafts; shaft-actuatingarms fixed to the outer ends of said shafts; fixed horizontal guides arranged in proximity to said shaft-actuating arms and adapted to depress said arms, thereby clamping material to the traveling bed; flexible pressure-bars above the traveling bed, revolving cutters beyond the pressure-bar and adapted to groove a tieplug bolt across the end of the grain; and

FITZLAND L. WILSON.

Witnesses:

GEo. B. WILLooX, WILLIAM STEPHENS. 

